


A week in Geneva

by babyliss12



Series: We'll take it slow (and grow as we go) [3]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Christmas, Deaf Character, Falling In Love, First Time Blow Jobs, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Frottage, Hand Jobs, Just esteban and Lance being cute in Geneva, M/M, Smut, deaf lance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:27:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28129875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babyliss12/pseuds/babyliss12
Summary: Esteban surprises Lance in Geneva and the two enjoy some quality time together in the festive season.
Relationships: Esteban Ocon/Lance Stroll
Series: We'll take it slow (and grow as we go) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2014246
Comments: 2
Kudos: 41





	1. Absence makes the heart grow fonder

**Author's Note:**

> As always, a disclaimer - I'm not deaf and don't have any personal experience with deafness  
> I rated it mature because there is smut throughout this fic and I wanted to be on the safe side.

_Just taking off, I’ll call when I land. Miss you xx_

Esteban grinned as he pocketed his phone, he couldn’t believe he was actually pulling this off. It was the second week of the winter break and after spending a few days at home with his family, he was now flying to Geneva to surprise Lance.

His boyfriend had no idea that he was coming and instead thought he was going to England for a team event. After finally asking Lance on a date in Brazil, he’d found himself with no time to actually take Lance out. The week between Brazil and Abu Dhabi had been filled with team meetings, sim work and extra workouts leaving him with little free time. Once in Abu Dhabi Lawrence had taken them aside and stated that it would probably be best if they avoided being seen together, just in case anyone mistook their ‘friendship’ for more. Esteban had gotten so used to spending time with Lance in between sessions that it felt like he was missing a limb while there. After the weekend they’d taken separate flights home, Esteban to France and Lance to England for some charity meetings.

During one of their skype dates, Lance had mentioned that his family normally spent Christmas in Switzerland and that he was headed there next week. That had sparked the idea about going to visit Lance there, something that was solidified when Lance let slip that his family was being delayed from Montreal and he would be there alone. He knew what Lance was hinting at but decided to lie and say he was busy so he could try and surprise him.

It hadn’t been easy planning it but with a little help from Chloe, whom he’d bonded with after she’s sent him pictures of Lance as a baby - much to his boyfriend's embarrassment - they'd made it work, And now, today was the day and he was flying into Geneva to finally see Lance. It had barely been two weeks but seeing his boyfriend through a camera wasn’t the same, and he wasn’t ashamed to say he was missing his cuddles.

Settling back in his seat, he closed his eyes hoping to catch a quick nap during the quick flight. It’d been an early start so he could maximise his time with Lance, but it meant that he was already tired, and it was only 10 am. There were too many things he wanted to do with Lance so there wasn’t time for napping or for being tired. Luckily the seat next to him stayed empty and no one seemed to recognise him, so he wasn’t disturbed. Before he knew it, the stewardess was shaking his shoulder to inform him that they were coming into land. Staying seated, he allowed the first rush of people off the plane before he made his move. Switching his phone back on he smiled softly at the waiting message,

_Fly safe. Can’t wait to see your face later xx._

The next challenge was finding a safe space so that he could call, perhaps the one downside of video calling was that it was pretty hard to hide something. If he wasn’t careful Lance would be able to recognise the airport and realise what was happening. Yawning loudly, he decided the best thing to do would be getting a coffee before he went to the taxi rank. Dropping into a seat in one of the many coffee shops he opened up skype and called his boyfriend.

An image of a sleep rumpled Lance appeared on his phone, the man holding his phone with one hand and a mug in the other. Giving a half-wave with the mug hand, Lance yawned loudly, blinking sleepily.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I wake you?” Esteban teased, the words showing up at the bottom of the screen.

Lance shot him a dark look, “I fell asleep again, I was comfy” he stated pouting slightly. He downed whatever was in the mug and rolled over on his side, squishing his face into his pillow and tugging the duvet up over his shoulders. Shifting the phone so he held it in between his hands and typed “was the flight okay?”

Esteban winced slightly at the robotic voice that came through his headphones, although modern technology was amazing, he still hated the monotone voice that replaced the soft lilting tones of Lance's real voice.

“It was fine, pretty boring. I’m so tired though so I stopped for coffee” he said, holding his mug up so Lance could see. “I miss you though.”

“only a few more weeks and then you can come to visit, I’ve been thinking of the things we can do.”

Esteban couldn’t help the grin at that. The original plan was for Esteban to visit after Christmas and it meant that Lance had no idea that we were coming today. His boyfriend wouldn’t have been able to resist telling him that he knew about his surprise.

“I can’t wait, I miss your cuddles” Esteban admitted. “I miss kissing you as well.”

He watched as a small flush grew on Lance’s cheeks and god, he just wished he was there already. Mind made up he quickly finished his coffee, “I’m going to have to cut this short,” he stated, making Lance glance up from his keypad and frown, “I’m so sorry, but I need to get going mon chéri.” Esteban’s heart breaking slightly as Lance dropped his eyes, shoulder slumping slightly, showing his sadness at having their conversation cut so short. Lance gave a small smile, “It’s okay, I know you’re still busy.”

“I’m sorry” Esteban started again, “I’ll call you later yeah?”

Lance nodded, waving goodbye before ending the call.

Esteban sighed heavily, he hated disappointing Lance but, in this case, it was necessary. Imagining the look on Lances face when he saw him at the house was enough to bring a smile back to his face and he jumped up, heading quickly towards the airport exit and jumping into the first available taxi. _I’ll see you soon Lance._

…………………………………………………………………………………

Lance sighed, dragging a hand through his hair as he made with way downstairs. He knew Esteban was busy and he was being needy but the distance between the two was beginning to get harsh. Even though they’d only been dating a few weeks, they’d spent the majority of time together so now it just felt weird to be apart. It hurt, even more, when they couldn’t fit in a full chat. He knew that Esteban would call later on, and he’d make up for it, but he definitely missed him.

Jumping the last few steps, he stuck out his hand and swung round the bannister, propelling him along the corridor and lightly skipping into the kitchen. Dumping his mug into the sink he glanced towards the clock, _11:30...hmm not too late for breakfast,_ he thought, hunting around he found some bagels and avocado. Popping the bagel into the toaster, he made quick work of mashing the avocado. Placing the bowl on the side he pulled himself up onto the counter, mindlessly scrolling through his phone while he waited. A sudden blinking light coming from the fridge door made him jump up. The doorbell receiver light alerting him to someone at the door as well as a corresponding message to his phone. Silencing the vibration, he also saw that he had a message from Esteban just come through.

_Come to the door xxx_

Frowning he cautiously made he way over, glancing through the peephole and gasping.

Esteban was standing smiling goofily at the door, beanie hat pulled low over his eyes and bundled up in a large duffle coat and scarf. After a few seconds, he reached out and pushed the bell again causing a bright light to shine directly in Lance’s eyes as he shifted to open the door. Blinking rapidly to try and dispel the blotches he groped for the door handle and threw it open. Squinting against the winter sun he stumbled forward, tripping on the step and felt himself fall forward and he braced, waiting for the impact of hitting the floor.

Instead, he found himself being caught and cuddled close to a chest. Looking up he found himself gazing up at his boyfriend.

“Hey” Esteban stated before leaning down and pressing a firm kiss against his lips. Groaning Lance reciprocated, wrapping his arms around Esteban’s neck and using the leverage to push back against his boyfriend's lips, deepening the kiss before pulling back. Keeping his arms in place he righted his feet before shifting his hands to Esteban’s face, cupping it gently.

“You’re here” he stated.

“I’m here” Esteban replied, pressing a quick kiss to the other man’s lips. “Come on, let’s go inside, it's freezing out here.” He pulled back, reaching down to grab the handles of his bag with one hand, and wrapping his other arm around Lance’s waist.

Once inside Lance pushed the door shut and herded his boyfriend through to the kitchen, where he rescued his bagel from the toaster and started fiddling with the coffee machine. He jumped slightly when he felt hands grabbing his waist and allowed Esteban to turn him around, pulling him into a tight hug. Lance felt Esteban rest his head on him, lightly tracing circles on his back as the two just stood and held each other. Eventually, Esteban pulled back and signed, “I’ve missed you.”

Lance grinned, signing back “I missed you too” before frowning and pulling his phone out, typing _'wait, how are you here though? I thought you had team stuff to do.'_

Edges of his mouth teasing upwards, Esteban typed back, _'you mentioned you would be here alone and so I thought I’d surprise you - Chloe helped._

At that moment Lance’s phone pinged, showing a message from the sister.

_Hope you don’t mind the surprise – don’t do anything I wouldn’t_

_Or do *wink wink”_

_Xxxx_

Blushing Lance quickly hid the phone from Esteban, making a mental note to text her back later. Right now, he just wanted to spend time with his boyfriend. Pocketing his phone, he turned back to the coffee machine, pouring out the fresh coffee and adding the amount of creamer that he knew Esteban liked. Handing his boyfriend, the mug he entwined their hands and led Esteban towards the living room where he placed his mug onto the table and dropped back into the settee, pulling Esteban down next to him and instantly snuggling into his side.

Smiling Esteban placed his mug down as well before pulling Lance onto his lap, smirking at the small squeak of surprise he let out at the movement. Wrapping his arms around Lance’s back, Esteban pulled him close and placed a light kiss to his boyfriend's lips. Lance moaned into the kiss, pushing back against Esteban’s lips, deepening the kiss and licking at his boyfriend's lips, attempting to gain access. Hungrily Esteban opened his mouth, lightly biting Lance’s bottom lip and teasing his tongue. Pulling back Esteban mouthed lightly at Lance’s neck, before sucking a point just under the younger man’s ear. Lance felt his jeans beginning to get tight from the action and he moaned loudly. After a minute Lance felt Esteban pull back and he gazed down at the other man, both of them breathing heavily. They hadn’t gone much further than that so far, Lance shying away from anything more intimate. Being his first real relationship, he wanted to take to slow and he knew Esteban understood it and was supportive of his choices. He knew he was lucky that his boyfriend was willing to wait and even though Lance did want to take it slow, it was moments like this that made him want to throw caution to the wind.

Esteban lightly ran his hands down Lance’s waist, resting them above his hips. Looking at Esteban’s face, Lance then couldn’t help his eyes slipping lower. Biting his lip, he could clearly see that Esteban was suffering from the same issue he was but hadn’t made any move yet. Taking a deep breath, he placed his hands-on Esteban’s shoulders, ignoring the questioning look in his eyes and gently rolled his hips forward, pushing his groin against Esteban’s, watching as his boyfriend dropped his head back, his mouth falling open. Encouraged by the reaction Lance repeated his action, pushing their hips together, moaning at the stimulation. As it became more intense Lance gripped Esteban’s hair, mashing their mouths together, gasping as Esteban rolled his lips up to meet Lances thrusts. After only a few minutes Lance felt the pressure building to an almost uncomfortable level and lost the rhythm of his movements, just chasing the high. Beneath him Esteban suddenly stilled, and Lance could feel the vibration of his moan through his chest. Still unable to finish Lance kept his movements going, beginning to feel almost annoyed that he couldn’t get over the edge. Keening loudly, he looked around desperately, fixing his eyes on his boyfriend, almost begging for help.

Feeling Esteban gently stroke his waist, he glanced down watching as Esteban slowly moved his hand towards his very noticeable bulge, and lightly stoked Lance through his jeans. The sudden stillness and calmness were a harsh juxtaposition to the frantic movements from a minute ago and Lance gasped as his vision went white and he moaned loudly, feeling his orgasm wash over him and he collapsed bonelessly against Esteban’s chest. Trying to catch his breath he could feel Esteban talking, feeling the vibrations in the other man’s chest and feeling one hand brushing through his hair, the other lightly stroking the strip of skin on his lower back where his shirt had ridden up. As he started to come back to himself he was aware of how gross he felt, the dried cum cooling into a sticky mess and he knew he probably looked a sweaty mess but he couldn’t bring himself to care that much. Pulling back he briefly brushed his lips against Esteban’s before shifting his weight to the side and rolling off his lap. Keeping cuddled into his boyfriend's side he leaned forward and grabbed his mug, humming happily when he realised it was still warm. As he sipped, he felt Esteban laugh and tilted his head.

“So, I’m still second to coffee then?” he stated, and Lance knew it was a teasing tone, so he just smirked and downed the rest of his mug. Feeling Esteban tap his cheek he turned to face him, “was that okay though?” Esteban asked, a sincere and almost concerned look in his eyes.

Looking Esteban directly in the eye he replied, “It was perfect, thank you”, leaning in to kiss him again. The two stayed like that for another minute before Esteban shifted, extracting himself from under Lance and standing. “I think we should shower.”

Despite the events of the last few minutes, Lance felt his body growing hot again at the thought of sharing and smiled cheekily while signing “together?” 

Lance watched as Esteban threw his head back, smile lines creasing his eyes as he laughed, “I’ve unleashed a monster” he giggled as held out a hand to Lance. “Sure, if you want.”

Lance had never moved so fast, quickly pulling his boyfriend through the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The skype feature Esteban and Lance use is real - its skype translator and simply displays the words at the bottom of the screen, making it very useful for hearing impaired people.
> 
> This is my first time writing/posting smut so be kind but I welcome the constructive criticism.


	2. It's incredible what you're doing to me

Running a towel through his hair, Esteban looked around Lance’s room. After the surprise make-out session that had quickly turned into more, they’d retreated to the shower to try and clean up. Even though Lance had suggested the possibility of another session, nothing apart from some light kissing had taken place. Instead, the two had simply indulged in a few head massages and Esteban had learnt that Lance was particularly skilled at those.

Glancing around he saw that although Lance didn’t use this house for a lot of the time there was still plenty of photos dotted around. Looking closer at a few on his bookshelf, Esteban smiled as he recognised Lawrence, Chloe and what must have been Lance’s mum, all dressed up in snow clothes with skis. While Esteban had been sledging when he’d been younger, any snow they had was normally an annoyance - the snow making it harder to get around. Not to mention the temperature in the caravan sometimes dropped quite low, despite the number of blankets his mum pilled on top of him. After spending so much time in the cold growing up, he’d never fully warmed to it as an adult, shying away from invites on skiing and snowboarding trips, fearing he’d feel out of place.

Chasing away his line of thought, he grinned as he took in a photo of Lance and Chloe having a whipped cream fight in the kitchen downstairs, both of them covered in it. Hearing the bathroom door open, he glanced over his shoulder watching as Lance emerged in his robe, his hair wrapped up in a towel turban and he couldn’t help the giggle that escaped. Grabbing his phone, he wrapped one arm around Lance, pulling him close and taking a selfie. Giggling at Lance’s pout he placed a kiss on his nose, delighting in the blush that spread around his face.

“So, I’ve got quite a few plans for this week so we should probably hurry up and get ready,” he stated, turning away and beginning to rummage through his suitcase after seeing Lance’s nod. Pulling out a fresh pair of jeans and a new jumper, he changed. Turning back, he saw that Lance was still standing in the same place. “What’s the matter” Esteban queried, taking a step towards his boyfriend.

Lance just smiled and signed “admiring the view.” He mouthed the words as well as signing them, an idea they’d seen online to try and help Esteban learn.

“Well you can look later, come on I’m hungry,” Esteban shot back, heading towards the stairs, looking over his shoulder he added, “maybe if you hurry up, I’ll kiss you again.” Laughing as Lance immediately started darting around the room grabbing different items.

While he waited for Lance, Esteban took the coffee mugs, throwing away his now cold cup and washing them up. Humming as he wiped the kitchen tops down as well, moving Lance’s forgotten bagel to the bread bin in case he wanted it later. It felt domestic and even after only a short time in this house Esteban felt at home. Hearing footsteps on the stairs, Esteban went to the bottom to meet him, hopping on each foot to pull on his shoes. After managing to do so without falling over he stood up, looking around to see where he’d left his coat that morning. In doing so he spotted Lance standing on the bottom step an expecting look on his face. Frowning slightly Esteban just looked at him, trying to figure out what was going on. Lance sighed and tapped his cheek, before signing the word for kiss.

“Ahhhh,” Esteban murmured, stepping over to his boyfriend and dropping a kiss first on the mark he’d made on his neck and then his nose and each cheek before placing a kiss on his lips. “Better?” he asked as he stepped back, and Lance pouted but nodded. Huffing slightly Esteban leaned back in, pressing another kiss to his lips, enjoying the feeling of Lance melting under his touch, grinning into the other man’s mouth before pulling back.

“Come on, we’ve got plenty of time for that stuff later, let’s explore.”

Walking outside Esteban paused for a second, although he’d planned the places he wanted to go and fun things they could do together, he hadn’t considering how’d they’d get there. The taxi to the chalet had taken longer than he’d thought, and he hadn’t seen much public transport in the immediate area. Frowning he looked around, trying to think of an idea other than calling a taxi but was coming up short.

He wasn’t sure how to break it to Lance that he hadn’t thought or planned for transport for the week but as he turned around, he saw Lance closing the front door, a pair of keys dangling from his fingers. Catching Esteban’s gaze Lance beckoned him over, gesturing that he should follow as he walked over to the garage at the side of the chalet. Typing in the code the doors slid up, revealing a couple of cars both family ones and sports cars. Esteban’s jaw dropped as he walked in staring in awe at the Ferrari 250 GTE, one of his favourite cars. Running his hands lightly over the bonnet the jangle of keys snapped his focus back to his boyfriend. Lance was holding his phone out towards him and a tinny voice stated, “we’ll take this one, its more practical but we can take that for a spin another time.” The car in question was a Mercedes GLA, and Lance was stood by the driver’s side, the door already open.

He gestured for Esteban to head for the passenger side before slipping into the driver’s seat and starting the engine. Slightly taken aback Esteban mentally shook himself – of course, Lance would be able to drive, his family wouldn’t have left him alone in this chalet with no way of getting around. Still, he wasn’t the best of passengers, a side effect of being a driver, but he’d try and keep an open mind. Sliding into the passenger seat, Esteban immediately pushed his seat back to give him more space and relaxed into the seat.

At the edge of his vision, he saw Lance typing on his phone before holding it out to Esteban.

_‘I know what you’re thinking but trust me I know how to drive, and I’m allowed to – do you trust me?’_

“Of course,” Esteban exclaimed, “I’m sorry, I think it was an unconscious thought, but of course I trust you.” Reaching over he squeezed Lance’s hand and then began fiddling with the stereo. Lance lightly slapped his hands away whiningly stating “I wanna pick” before laughing at the look on Esteban’s face. Esteban huffed, playing at being annoyed at the joke at his expense but really, he didn’t care what made Lance laugh, as long as he got to hear it.

Gesturing towards the satnav Lance signed “where are we going?”

Biting his lip Esteban pulled his phone out, scrolling down through his notes and showing Lance a couple of the ideas, before stating “how about we just get some lunch and go from there?” Esteban smiled as Lance nodded his affirmation.

Lance carefully pulled forward out of the garage, stopping to jump out and shut the garage again and then they were on their way. During the taxi ride up Esteban had been too distracted and nervous to take in the scenery but now he could appreciate the snowy hills and snow-dusted pine trees. From the road, he could see houses with their Christmas lights illuminated and the whole atmosphere was making him incredibly Christmassy and content. Gazing over at his boyfriend he felt his mouth curve upwards into a sappy grin and a warmness settle into his stomach. The short time they’d spent together had been some of the best in his life and he felt that he could never express how he felt about this guy. Esteban could see a faint blush growing on Lance’s cheeks, so Esteban knew he’d probably been caught staring, but the other man kept his eyes firmly on the road ahead. As always there was a comfortable silence between them and for the first time since the end of the season, Esteban finally felt fully relaxed.

The half an hour journey back into the centre of Geneva felt like the blink of an eye and soon Lance was pulling into a parking block.

 _Are you in the mood for anything in particular?_ Lance texted.

“Not really” Esteban replied, “You pick something.”

Lance nodded, brow furrowing as he seemed to consider his choices. Eyes suddenly brightening Esteban could see that he’d reached a conclusion and was proved right when Lance jumped out of the car, impatiently gesturing for Esteban to follow.

Heading out into the streets of Geneva Lance reached over and took hold of Esteban’s hand, swinging it back and forth. It was only a short walk, but Lance was excitingly pointing out shops and attractions to Esteban, signing quickly and occasionally forgetting that Esteban couldn’t keep up.

Lance was soon pulling Esteban into a small homely looking restaurant called L’Agape. The restaurant was light and airy, and luckily not that busy. Lance greeted the host with a smile and a wave before switching into sign language which the host reciprocated much to Esteban’s surprise. The host then turned to Esteban and stated,

“Bonjour monsieur Ocon, welcome to L’Agape, my name is Nico and if you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to your seat and take a drinks order.” The last part he added in sign language for Lance’s benefit. The two followed the host to a table in the back corner, slightly out of sight from the other patrons. When asked what they’d like to drink Esteban looked at Lance, having no idea what the restaurant would have. Lance quickly signed to the host, who nodded and stated he’d be back shortly.

“What did you order?” Esteban questioned.

“You’ll find out” Lance signed back. Pulling out his phone he typed the next part – ‘ _Nico’s sister is deaf, and we’ve been coming to this restaurant for years, so he remembers me.’_ After seeing Esteban nod that he’d read the message Lance began typing again – ‘ _So what’s the plan for today? What did you want to do?’_

In response Esteban pulled out his own phone, “I thought we could visit the ethnography museum today if you’re interested?”

_‘Sure, I haven’t gone there in years so I’m sure there’s new stuff to see.’_

“Fantastic” he replied. Just then Nico returned with their drinks, a colourful looking smoothie and enquired about what they’d like to eat. Once again at a loss, Esteban looked at Lance who rolled his eyes but nevertheless ordered for the both of them. Once again Esteban felt warmth settle in his stomach as he realised that Lance knew him well enough to confidently order for him. His few previous relationships had never felt like this and more than likely the women were only with him because of his job – but with Lance, he knew it was different.

The two settled into a comfortable rhythm, Lance once again teaching Esteban some sign language. Despite being a new learner Esteban was surprised at how much he was able to retain but he still struggled with a lot of the words. They only stopped when their lunch was brought over, Esteban having a chicken ballotine and Lance having a salmon dish. While they were eating, Lance using one hand to use the text to speech app on his phone, the topic changed to childhood tales – Esteban sharing how much his parents sacrificed for his dream and Lance revealing that he’d karted before losing his hearing and that his father used to allow him to go on the circuit even after for practice but had stopped him from actually competing. For a minute Esteban imagined a world in which Lance had succeeded in karting and had made it to F1 with him, but he much preferred this one reality knowing that they might not have been able to explore their feelings if they were both drivers.

Once finished with their food they walked towards the museum, Esteban buying them both a hot chocolate from a stall for the journey. Although Lance claimed to know the way on foot, they ended up getting horribly lost wandering down small cobblestone streets. One of the small shops they passed was a jeweller and Lance slowed to stop, “oh let me look for Chloe” he signed, leaning close to the window display. Esteban gave the display a once over, not really seeing anything he thought Chloe would like but his eyes were drawn to a silver bracelet. The two bands of silver twisted in the centre, intertwining and Esteban couldn’t help but think it would look good on Lance. Mentally making a note to come back another day the two moved on, Lance letting out a playful whooping noise when the saw the museum finally appear in front of them.

“See I told you I knew where I was going” he signed to Esteban, a cheeky look in his eyes and Esteban only rolled his eyes in return.

“Come on let’s go inside.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Hours later when they finally finished with the museum and emerged back into the cold it was dark, the streets illuminated by the Christmas lights strung from building to building. Esteban had noticed that Lance had grown quieter towards the end and was beginning to drag his feet. The long afternoon of walking catching up to him.

Pausing at the bottom of the steps, Esteban crouched down saying “come on jump on, I’ll give you a lift.”

Esteban could see Lance hesitate, so he added, “I know you’re tired, so come on.” After another second Lance moved forward and Esteban felt his weight on his back. Straightening up he heard Lance let out a little squeak and his arms tightened around Esteban’s neck, his legs coming up to wrap around his waist. Esteban, in turn, placed his hands under Lance’s legs, shifting him upwards slightly before setting off.

The further they walked the heavier Lance became as he placed more and more of his weight on Esteban’s back, his head coming down to rest on the other man’s shoulder. Esteban grinned as he was proved right, Lance was basically falling asleep on him. Despite the weight, Esteban took his time enjoying Geneva in the night-time and enjoying the moment.

Once back at the car, Lance hadn’t made any movement or noise in about ten minutes and Esteban was genuinely thinking that he was asleep. Carefully moving his right-hand Esteban managed to push his hand into Lance’s pocket grabbing the keys. Frowning for a second, he realised he’d have to wake Lance up in order to get him in the car and so began to gently bounce his boyfriend, reaching round to poke him in the side as well.

“Come on Lance, you need to wake up for a second mon coeur.” Despite knowing the Lance couldn’t hear him, Lance had mentioned once that he liked hearing the vibrations caused by Esteban talking when he was cuddled on his chest and so figured that it might help him wake up. Sure enough, after a minute Esteban felt Lance lift his head and grumble sleepily. Crouching down again Lance slipped off Esteban’s back and stumbled towards the driver’s door causing Esteban to reach out and catch his hand, pulling him back.

“Hey hey, I’m driving, you’re too tired” he stated, moving his hand through Lance’s hair, revelling in the softness of his curls. “Let me drive, you can sleep then.”

Lance nodded, allowing Esteban to open the passenger side door and buckle him in, leaning forward to brush their lips together. “Thank you,” the younger man mumbled against his lips.

“Anytime,” he replied.

Gently closing the door, he jogged round to the drivers soon, huffing quietly to himself as he saw that Lance had already fallen asleep again. Slipping into the seat and staring the engine, he selected the home address on the Satnav and set off. The roads were quiet, but Esteban took his time, he was driving with precious cargo after all.

The rhythm of driving swept over him and he lost himself in thoughts of the day, smiling subconsciously as he remembered the fun they’d had – the photo of Lance in a tribal mask and himself in a tribal headdress being among a number they’d taken. The quick one he snapped of Lance gazing at some of the lights now set as his phone background.

As they got closer to home, Lance let out little snuffles and snores as he shifted around in the seat but still stayed asleep. He stayed sleeping even as they pulled into the drive, not even stirring when Esteban jumped out to unlock the garage and reverse them in. Moving around to the passenger door, he carefully picked Lance up, holding him bridal style as he backed into the door pushing it shut and headed towards the front door. Managing to open the door without dropping or waking up Lance, he kicked it shut and moved towards the living room, placing Lance down on one of the many settees and wrapping him in the throw blanket that was draped over the back.

Staying for a second and carding his hand through Lance’s hair he simply took in the moment, once again thanking whoever was listening for giving him this man. The moment was broken by Esteban’s stomach loudly growling and the need for food took priority over watching his boyfriend sleep.

Hunting around the fridge and cupboards, he settled for some pasta and meatballs – nice, simple and definitely something that he could make without burning it. Spotting a speaker, he fiddled around connecting his phone and selected his favourite playlist, allowing himself to dance and sing around the kitchen as he cooked. He’d always enjoyed cooking although his lifestyle and how they’d lived during his childhood meant that he’d never managed to do much of it – leaving it to his mother so that the food wouldn’t be wasted.

By the time he was finished, there was still no sign of Lance. Placing the two bowls on the kitchen table Esteban wandered back through to the living room, smiling when he saw that Lance was in the same position, he’d left him in. Kneeling down next to the settee he gently shook Lance’s shoulder with one hand, the other stroking over his cheek. As Lance started to twitch Esteban leaned closer and whispered little encouragements and sweet nothings into his ear. A surprise heat built in his stomach as Lance blinked himself awake, yawning loudly and running his hand through his hair. Watching Lance wake up was now firmly in his top five favourite things it seemed.

“Come on, mon coeur, I made dinner,” he whispered, brushing a kiss over Lance’s forehead and moving to help pull him up. Smiling as Lance kept the blanket around his shoulders like a cape as he followed him back to the kitchen. Sitting opposite other, Lance cleared his throat stating, “Thank you,” before tucking in.

Unlike lunch, they ate in silence both tired from the events of the day. Upon finishing, Lance took both bowls and dumped them in the dishwasher.

“Did you want to watch a film in bed?” Lance signed, yawning yet again which suggested that he wouldn’t last very long.

“I’d like nothing more,” Esteban replied, “I need some more cuddles,” he added, grinning as Lance registered what he’d said. Following the Canadian upstairs, they changed quickly and snuggled under the covers together while Lance flicked through Netflix, picking the first Christmas film that came up before cuddling into Esteban’s chest. As the opening titles of _Love Actually_ began to play, Lance reached up and pulled Esteban down into a chaste kiss.

“Thank you for today,” he signed, “I loved it.” As he shifted back to look at the screen, he left his hand splayed over Esteban’s chest, letting out a sigh of contentment. Unbeknownst to him, Esteban wasn’t concentrating on the film but was instead staring down at Lance, caught in his feelings.

 _I love him,_ Esteban thought, _I think I really love him._ Clutching Lance tighter to his chest, the words running around in his mind, he hoped Lance felt the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> L'Agape is a real restaurant in Geneva (Also don't judge my geography of Geneva and how quick/slow they get to places - I've never been to Geneva (although I do want to)
> 
> Lance is the first deaf person Esteban's met so he still stumbles over something - It's perfectly legal for deaf people to drive - when you think about it hearing doesn't play the biggest role.
> 
> I have zero clue what Esteban's favourite car is - I only picked a Ferrari because Lawrence does have a collection.
> 
> Lance has mentioned that he started karting when he was 8 and in this universe, he lost his hearing at 10 - I can totally imagine Lawrence letting him practice but not a race.


	3. Sweet like chocolate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some morning smut coming up :)

Lance sighed softly as he came back to awareness. His head was pillowed on Esteban’s chest, the Frenchman still deeply asleep snoring lightly. The two were entangled, with one of Esteban’s legs in between his own. Lance let his eyes slip shut again allowing himself to enjoy the early morning calm. Although that was abruptly broken as Esteban shifted in his sleep pushing his hips towards Lance’s and revealing a little problem. Lance was hard and by the feel of it, so was Esteban. Lance couldn’t help but remember yesterday morning after their kissing session turned into something more. It was Lance’s first-time doing things like that with another person and he was happily surprised by the feelings.

Now that Lance was thinking about it, he couldn’t shake the memories and moaned slightly as his hips twitched involuntarily towards Esteban’s seeking some friction. In amongst his memories was the sensation of Esteban lightly stroking him to his orgasm through his jeans and he bit his lips. Feeling bold he shifted so he wasn’t laying directly on Esteban’s chest and wiggled down slightly so he was closer to Esteban’s groin. Slowly he reached out and delicately ran a finger down the length of Esteban’s cock, realising with a blush that his boyfriend was particularly well endowed. He felt Esteban shiver as he touched him, glancing up to see if he’d woken up but saw that his eyes were still shut but his mouth had dropped open. Moving carefully once again Lance used two fingers to trace Esteban watching as the Frenchman’s hips jerked upwards trying to chase the feeling. Seeing the pleasure, he was giving Esteban made Lance groan and now felt his own member begin to leak.

Moving one hand to push his own shorts down and grip his cock, making himself whimper he did the same with Esteban, allowing his erection to jump free and curl upwards towards Esteban’s chest.

Seeing it properly Lance felt his breath stutter as he started to stroke himself, imagining him taking it in his mouth, licking his tongue up the veins and swallowing Esteban’s cum. Moaning loudly he began to imagine the feeling of Esteban inside him, the girth of his cock filling him completely and leaving him spent. Whimpering to himself, he stroked quicker chasing his orgasm when suddenly a hand covered his own and stilled his movement. Whining he looked up and saw Esteban’s dark gaze, his chest heavy as he jerked his hips trying to get Esteban to do something. Something flickered in the Frenchman’s eyes and a second later Lance found himself flipped on his back Esteban’s knees either side of his hips.

Lance reached up, wrapping his arms around Esteban’s neck pulling him down into a heavy kiss, mouths clashing together as Esteban rocked his hips down, their bare erections touching for the first time. Lance felt his heart skip a beat as his breathing stuttered and through the vibrations against his lips, he could guess that Esteban was feeling the same way. Seeking more friction, Lance wrapped his legs around Esteban’s back pulling their groins together and for a minute the two rocked against each other, each chasing the high. Suddenly Esteban sat back, looking pained as he separated from Lance. Lance reached for him, wanting to draw him back into more kisses but Esteban moved downward instead, settling his elbows on the bed and gently mouthed at Lances cock.

Lance cried out as Esteban took him in his mouth, the heat of Esteban’s mouth overwhelming and his orgasm tore through him, shooting ropes of cum down his boyfriend's mouth. Esteban’s tongue swirled around his tip, easing every last drop out of him and swallowing it easily. Lance collapsed back against the pillows boneless and let his eyes slip half-closed, breathing heavily. Through his lidded eyes, he saw Esteban sit back on his heels stoking himself frantically before throwing his head back as the white cum exploded out, covering Lance’s stomach. Esteban fell forward, pillowing his head on Lance’s chest, now the opposite of how they’d been when Lance had woken up. Lance run his hand through Esteban’s sweaty hair, feeling the other man’s chest heaving as he recovered.

After a short while, Esteban twisted around, moving so he was sat up next to Lance. “Well that’s a hell of a way to start the day,” he grinned placing another kiss on Lance’s lips.

……………………………………………………………………………………….

Later that morning Esteban wandered down to the kitchen, Lance was on the phone to his family, so he’d gone ahead to start breakfast. Today was the only day he’d actually booked an event, a chocolate walking tour and tasting which wasn’t until after lunch so they had some time for a lazy morning. It was already 10:30, far later than Esteban was used to but after his surprising wake up they’d showered and then returned to bed, snuggling and trading lazy kisses for a little longer.

He wasn’t sure where Lance’s newfound confidence was coming from, but he certainly wasn’t going to say no to it. Although maybe another chat was needed to make sure they were on the same page, just to be safe.

From the night before seeing some avocado and eggs in the fridge, a healthy breakfast hopefully making up for the carb heavy meals of the day before. As for the chocolate…well that doesn’t count. Humming away as he prepped the meal, he kept one ear out listening for Lance. When he was finished Lance still hadn’t come down and Esteban hovered at the bottom of the stairs. Should he take the breakfast up and interrupt the family call or wait and potentially let it go cold. He was saved when his phone buzzed showing a text from the man in question.

_You can bring it up, it's fine – we’re almost done. xx_

Frowning Esteban spun in a circle, confused by the message. Had his boyfriend suddenly become physic, had he always been physic? He was pulled from his thoughts when his phone buzzed again.

_Why on earth are you spinning around? Just bring breakfast up. xx_

Esteban gaped at the phone, mentally apologising to his boyfriend (just in case) and quickly grabbed the food and went upstairs. Poking his head around the bedroom door, his boyfriend beckoning him in. Taking one of the plates from Esteban, Lance patted the bed next to him and tilted the laptop on the side table so they were both visible. Glancing at the screen he saw the Lawrence and Claire-Ann were there. Greeting them with a soft hello and a wave, Esteban still slightly shy about seeing his boss in a more personal setting. They exchanged some casual pleasantries, with Lawrence commenting, “I hope you’re keeping it the bedroom” and immediately causing the boys to blush, giving them away. Lawrence chuckled at their reaction although Claire-Ann quickly slapped him on the shoulder making him stop.

Luckily to save further embarrassment Lawrence stated that they needed to go, ending the call soon after with Lance promising to call in a few days and them both promising to look after each other.

Once Lance closed the laptop, they glanced at each other and burst out laughing.

“Oh god…” Esteban tried, still laughing, “oh god…I can’t.”

Shaking his head, he turned to look at Lance, his face still bright red as his shoulder shook with silent laughter. When Lance looked up, Esteban couldn’t help but comment “well maybe we should try and keep it in here” laughing anew at the horrified look on Lances face.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to approach the conversion now, since they were already dancing around the topic. “About this morning…” Esteban started, gently shushing Lance when his face morphed into one of panic. “Hey, hey, it’s okay, I just want to make sure it’s all okay for you” he finished.

Lance’s face softened as he pulled out his phone, taking his time as he typed out his message.

_It's fine. I know we said about going slow, but it just feels right, I can tell how much you care about me, you make me feel special._

Esteban practically melted when he read through the message and he leaned over, placing his hands on either side of Lance’s face, thumb gently stroking over his cheeks. Lance lifted his own hand up, placing it on top of Esteban’s, merging their fingers together.

“You deserve everything I could ever give you and more, I want it all to be perfect,” he whispered.

“Of course it’s perfect, it's with you” Lance replied, pulling Esteban’s hand down and placing a feather-light kiss to his knuckles.

Esteban drew Lance into a hug, the younger man resting his head on Esteban’s shoulder for a minute before he sat back.

“you squished my breakfast,” Lance signed, pointing to Esteban’s leg when he was done.

“Shit.”

……………………………………………………………………………

Eventually, after another clothes change and a bizarre conversation about Lance not being psychic but instead having camera’s around the house connected to his phone so he could work out where people were – which lead to an even more horrifying conversation, about whether Lawrence had actually seen them in the living room – they were finally heading into central Geneva for the chocolate tour.

Esteban had managed to find one that offered an interpreter as well so that Lance was fully included, although he had yet to actually tell his boyfriend about that, hoping it would be a nice surprise.

The weather was taking a nice turn as well, the sun breaking through the clouds, helping to make the temperature mild enough that the walking tour would be comfortable. As they walked to the meeting place, they once again passed the small jewellery store and Esteban noted that the bracelet was still there. He’d have to figure out how to distract Lance so he could buy it at some point but that was a problem for another day. All he wanted to think about know was the amount of chocolate he was going to eat.

They weren’t the first to arrive, a small group already clustered outside the hotel and the tour leader greeted them with a smile, asking to see the booking information. As he spotted their names, he gave a little “ahh” noise and immediately started signing to Lance as well as speaking for Esteban.

“Ah welcome gentlemen, my names Jean-Eric, and I’ll be your tour guide this afternoon. The tour will take approximately three hours and we’ll visit five of the best Chocolateries and Patisseries in the country and enjoy a short boat trip across the lake to the old town. We’re still waiting on a few people, but it shouldn’t be long before we’re on our way.” He smiled at them again and turned away when another member of the tour began asking questions about the architecture of the hotel.

Esteban turned to Lance excited to see his reaction but was slightly shocked to see tears gathering in his eyes.

“Mon coeur, what’s the matter?” he exclaimed, bundling Lance into his arms, holding him close as Lance silently cried. “shh shh it’s okay, shhh I’m here, it’s okay,” he muttered as he ran his hands up and down Lance’s back in a soothing manner.

After a few seconds, Esteban gently nudged Lance back, looking down at his face. “Do you want to leave? We can it's fine, I don’t mind.”

At that Lance frantically shook his head, one hand coming up to wipe his eyes while the other reached into his pocket, grabbing his phone.

He angled himself so that Esteban could see and began typing- _I wasn’t expecting an interpreter, it just took me by surprise._

“Well, this is something to enjoy together it wouldn’t be fun if you missed some of the information.” To Esteban finding a tour with someone who knew sign language was a no brainer, he wanted to be able to enjoy this day with his boyfriend and that meant making sure he was included.

“Thank you,” Lance whispers, stretching up on his tiptoes to press a chaste kiss to Esteban’s lips.

“All right guys, everyone is here so we can get started with the tour,” Esteban heard Jean-Eric call out and so he reluctantly broke the kiss. Seeing Lance’s tongue dance out moistening his lips, Esteban swallowed heavily. “To be continued,” he muttered, stepping to the side and taking Lance’s hand in his.

“Okay everyone if you follow me, we’ll head towards the first stop. Esteban, Lance and Micheal and Lucy, if you guys wanna come to the front you’ll be able to see the signing easier.”

Moving forward Esteban smiled and gave a soft hello to the other couple, spotting the hearing aids in the man’s ears, sharing an understanding look with the woman.

Esteban let Jean-Eric’s commentary wash over him as they walked through the streets. Despite getting to travel the world and seeing amazing and exotic places, Geneva was quickly becoming a firm favourite.

“…chocolate was first made in Switzerland during the 18th century when it was sold as an unsweetened mass by pharmacists. It was designed to be consumed as a hot beverage – aka hot chocolate.”

Jean-eric came to a stop and signalled for the group to do the same. “And that brings us to our first stop of the day” gesturing behind him to a smart-looking shop as he spoke, “Du Rhone chocolatier.”

“Everyone head right in, there’s some complimentary hot chocolate for you to try – some call it the best in Geneva – and some champagne truffles as well.”

Esteban let out a small laugh as Lance rushed forward, eager to be the first person in the shop. Smiling he followed his boyfriend in, basking in the warmth and inhaling the sweet and almost overpowering scent of chocolate. Moving forward Lance had already claimed his hot chocolate and handed a second one to Esteban, their knuckles brushing together and giving Esteban a familiar spark.

Lifting the cup, he took a sip, keeping his eyes locked with Lance’s. He let out an involuntary moan as the rich liquid reached his mouth. It was rich, possibly the richest liquid he’d ever tasted and it felt like it was coating his mouth, leaving traces in every crevice in his mouth.

Lance let out a similar moan, and as he lowered his cup there was a trace of chocolate left behind on his upper lip. “Here, you’ve gotta little something,” Esteban said, reaching out and whipping his thumb across Lance’s top lip. Thumb lingering and he shivered when Lance’s tongue flicked out, catching his thumb and lightly sucking on the tip.

Taking a deep breath Esteban stepped backwards, muttering “not here, later.”

“Is that a promise?” Lance signed, and Esteban surged forward to press a quick kiss to his lips.

“definitely,” he signed back.

Their moment was broken by one of the shop assistants coming over with a tray of truffles. Each taking one, Esteban held his out towards Lance’s mouth, smiling when Lance took the hint and took it, before doing the same with the one he was holding. Esteban let the truffle melt in his mouth as they turned their attention back to the group, Jean-Eric and the shop owner talking about the history of the shop.

Soon they were on their way again and as they headed back into the street, Esteban re-joined their hands, swinging them back and forth as they followed Jean-Eric.

“Just further down this road is the birthplace of milk chocolate. In 1875 Daniel Peter replaced the cacoa butter with powdered milk. As well as making chocolate more affordable for the public, it made it sweeter and more enjoyable. The site is marked by a plaque – as you can see just here.”

The group stopped, taking a few pictures of the plaque and entering a small shop just below it. “This shop still uses the original recipe used by Daniel Peter and Henri Nestle, and is known throughout Switzerland.”

This time there were more choices of chocolate to try and they were just as delightful as the last shop’s. They were creamy and light and Esteban tried to chase away thoughts of how much training he was going to have to do to work off these chocolates. He took note of that fact that Lance seemed to particularly enjoy the vanilla flavoured chocolate and hung back as the group left to buy an assortment for him.

Lance eyed him as he joined them outside and Esteban joking stated, “Just a little souvenir my little vanilla bean”, giggling as Lance’s mouth twisted at the nickname. “cool, that’s staying” he commented, watching as Lance rolled his eyes in mock disgust.

Deciding to take it a step further to stepped over to Jean-Eric and asked him how to sign vanilla bean, planning on annoying Lance every way that he could.

“It’s cute - vanilla beans are little, adorable and tasty – just like you,” Esteban declared, watching as a blush spread across Lance’s cheeks as he pulled his pink beanie down to cover his ears all while throwing a glare at Esteban, but the twinkle in his eyes gave him away.

One of the last stops on the tour was the Lindt shop – a well-known name not only in Switzerland but across the world. This was the one Esteban had been most excited for, Lindt having been his favourite chocolate. That was until this tour, and now his favourite was a truffle that was only sold in one shop – Favarger’s chocolate, a small family-owned business that had grown from nothing to the preferred chocolate of the locals. For him, it was just another reason for him to come back to Geneva.

“The history of Lindt can be traced back to 1847 when Rudolf Sprungli and his son move from their cramped bakery in Zurich to a small factory in Horgen to increase production. I imagine neither of them would have been able to guess the success they would have when they sold everything they had to try and realise their dreams.” As Jean-Eric explained the history, Esteban was hit with a sense of nostalgia, remembering when his parents sat him down at the kitchen table to tell him that they were selling the house to help further his career. Without their gamble, he would never have made it, and he would never have been able to meet Lance. Unconsciously imaging how different his life could have been, he held Lance tighter – not seeing the concerned look sent his way.

……………………………………………………………..

As the boat set out, taking them back across Lake Geneva at the end of the tour, Esteban and Lance stood on the deck leaning against each other as they enjoyed the view. Despite it only being 5:30 the sun had set and the stars were beginning to shine through the light cloud.

Despite the calm night, the soft Christmas music coming through the speakers, and the warm body next to him, Esteban felt restless. He normally wasn’t one to dwell on his past, choosing to focus on the good times but he couldn’t shake the images his mind had created of a different life. A life without racing, a life ultimately without Lance. Despite the shortness of their relationship, Esteban was beginning more and more convinced that Lance was the one for him and it pained him to think of a life without him.

As if sensing his mood Lance shifted, moving so he was now facing Esteban instead of standing beside him. Esteban wrapped his arms around Lance, holding him close and resting his head on Lance’s.

“I love you,” he muttered into Lance’s hair knowing that he wouldn’t see it. “I think I really really love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The places mentioned are all real and all look AMAZING - I gained several pounds just writing this chapter.  
> This was all based on a real tour that takes you through Geneva and out onto the lake. (Again I know that I messed up the geography of Geneva but just go with it)
> 
> Yes I am aware vanilla bean is stupid but it was the name of the chocolate I was eating at the time so eh


	4. One Day (I'll make you mine)

Esteban ducked as Lance flicked flour at him, hiding behind the counter island. Fumbling around, trying to find a weapon without revealing his head he grabbed a packet and pulled it off. Chocolate drops. _Perfect,_ he thought. Grabbing a handful, he stood up and in one fluid movement, hurled the chocolate across the kitchen, realising a second too late that Lance was no longer standing by the fridge. The chocolate gave a soft _thunk_ as they bounced off the metal door and fell to the ground.

Eyes narrowing, he picked up a free baking tray holding it in front of him like a shield, and slowly moved away from the island. Eyes darting from side to side trying to locate his boyfriend, he carefully moved further into the kitchen. Surveying the area, he saw no trace of the enemy. Maybe they had executed a tactical retreat, or maybe they were using their smaller stature to their advantage.

Spotting one of the cupboard doors ajar, he crept over trying to keep his footsteps light and after pausing for a second, yanked the door open yelling “ah-ha” as he did.

 _Ah,_ he thought, _Bugger._ The cupboard was empty, well empty of Canadians anyway. Frowning slightly, he stood up and assessed the kitchen. To put it frankly…it was a mess.

They’d started the day lazily – as they planned to go on- watching some tv in bed before going for a walk on a track nearby to the chalet. When they’d returned home, they had a message from Lawrence telling them that he’d booked them a wine tasting evening for that night as part of their Christmas present which although was a nice surprise meant that their lazy day was somewhat ruined.

It was Lance who suggested a baking session and decorating the tree, and the two had popped into a nearby shop to get the ingredients for chocolate babka and some mince pies. The babka being a nod to Lance’s past, making traditional Hanukkah treats with his grandparents in Canada. Although Lance and his family weren’t observant, it was the memories associated with the holiday that led to them following the Hanukkah traditions – the menorah on the bookshelf, waiting to be lit when it got dark.

The battle taking place had come from Esteban accidentally on purpose getting melted chocolate on Lance’s face. Lance had retaliated by flicking milk at him, and in turn, Esteban had smeared the mincemeat on Lance’s nose and the rest was history.

Spinning on his heel he considered where Lance could have gone. He definitely wasn’t in the kitchen which meant that Esteban was on the back foot. Lance knew this chalet like the back of his hand and his phone was gone. Glancing up at the webcam in the corner of the room and he gave a cheeky wave. Keeping the backing tray with him he peeked around the doorframe into the living room. One first impression it was empty, but Esteban could see a trace of flour on the dark blue settee.

Creeping into the room he walked past the settee, checking that Lance wasn’t hiding behind it. Frowning he looked around, there weren’t that many places where Lance could hide, and he was beginning to get confused.

He was broken out of his musing when he felt a weight smack into his back, throwing him forward onto the settee. “ARGHH” he screamed as he pitched forward into the pillows. The weight on his back settled and Esteban twisted, throwing the other person onto the floor and rolling on top of them.

The red face of his boyfriend greeted him. Lance’s chest was heavy, but his eyes were bright, and he was grinning. “I got you” he signed a smug look on his face.

“Yeah yeah you got me, but now I’ve got you” Esteban stated, pinning Lances hands above his head and diving into his neck, leaving light kisses against Lance’s pulse point. Lance squirmed under him and pulled at his hands, trying to break the hold. Esteban’s grin fell away as he looked at the panicked look on his face, and he pulled his hands away quickly, moving to sit back on his heels. Just as quickly as the panic appeared on Lance’s face it vanished, a mischievous one taking its place and before Esteban could react Lance flipped their positions, so he was on top and it was Esteban’s arms held above his head.

Suddenly breathless Esteban exclaimed, “okay you definitely got me.”

The light coming through the window behind Lance, illuminated him, showing him in a glow. Esteban felt soft in that moment and relaxed under Lance’s touch. Lance smiled back at him and released his hands shifting so he was laying on Esteban’s chest, his face hidden in his neck. Esteban felt Lance’s lips move against his skin, but it wasn’t loud enough for him to hear.

Leaning back, he angled himself so Lance could see his face. “You okay?” he queried.

Lance nodded, placing a quick kiss on Esteban’s neck before sitting up and moving to his feet, holding out a hand to Esteban. Esteban allowed himself to be pulled up, squeezing Lance’s hand.

“Come on, let’s get back to it.” Lance signed.

The rest of the morning passed in relative domestic quietness, the two of them baking and teasing each other. They worked well together, making a good team, and unbeknownst to the other, both were thinking about doing this for many years to come.

……………………………………………………………………………….

That evening as Esteban waited for the taxi to arrive and for Lance to finish getting ready, he texted his parents keeping them updated on his trip.

_From Mama:_

_Ohh that’s very generous of Mr Stroll – I can’t wait to meet Lance; it sounds like he’s making you very happy. Xxx_

_To Mama:_

_Its perfect, Lance is perfect mama. I can’t wait for you to meet him. xxx_

_To Mama:_

_I think I love him. Xx_

Hurriedly shoving his phone back into his pocket as he heard footsteps on the stairs, and he turned to greet his boyfriend – his jaw-dropping as he took in his appearance.

Lance was wearing black suit trousers and shoes with a white shirt unbuttoned to reveal a sliver of chest and a black blazer over the top. It was the first time he’d seen the other man dressed up and Esteban felt his mouth going dry at the sight. Esteban himself was dressed in his dark blue jeans, a white shirt, also undone and a borrowed navy suit jacket.

“wow, you look….” Esteban trailed off, gesturing uselessly with his hands “just wow.”

Lance grinned shyly, giving a slow twirl before signing “You look pretty wow yourself.”

“eh, I look eh – you on the other hand look perfect” he replied. Lance stepped forward and lightly slapped Esteban on the shoulder. “I’m serious, half of me doesn’t even want to let you out, wants to keep you all to myself.”

He wrapped his arms around Lance, pulling him flush against him and planting a kiss on his lips. Lance gasped into it, bringing his hands up to grip Esteban’s hair pulling his head closer. Esteban took the opportunity of Lance’s open mouth suck on his lower lip, before darting his tongue into Lance’s willing mouth. Moving his lips from Lance's, Esteban attached them to the other man’s neck, sucking on the fading mark he’d made the other day making it prominent once more. Moving downwards Esteban attacked the small bit of collarbone on show, creating a similar mark. The sounds Lance was making, seriously making Esteban consider cancelling the evening and taking Lance back to bed.

Esteban eventually pulled back, breathless and pushed Lance’s hair back, stroking a thumb over his forehead. “Perfect” he muttered again. “now everyone knows your mine,” he was taken back by the possessiveness he felt but knowing Lance looked that good he didn’t want to risk another man making an attempt. Looking at Lance, the younger man was panting heavily his pupils blown, the three-word phrase that had been floating around his head for days came to the forefront of his mind and rested on the tip of his tongue. 

He opened his mouth but was interrupted by the sound of the taxi announcing its arrival with its horn. Clearing his throat, Esteban turned and opened the door, gesturing for Lance to go first. After letting Lance lock the door, he guided the other man over to the taxi, a hand pressed against the small of his back, opening the door with a flourish for the younger man, and hurrying around to the other side.

Once settled in the taxi driver looked over his shoulder at them. “So, you want the La Rouge et La Blanc, correct?” he inquired, and at the two simultaneous nods turned around and began driving.

Esteban saw movement from the corner of his eye and saw Lance’s hand sliding towards his. Meeting in the middle, they shared a look and Lance began running his thumb across Esteban’s knuckles. The sound of the engine was the only noise in the car, not even the radio playing, the sound endlessly soothing for Esteban. The journey passed quickly, seemingly in the blink of an eye but at the same time felt like it lasted forever. But it did end and soon they were standing outside of the restaurant and wine bar, situated on the edge of Lake Geneva.

The old brick building looking warm and inviting on the cold December night and the two swiftly walked inside. The host gave a warm smile, giving an understanding nod when told the reservation was under Lawrence Stroll and they were led through to the back of the building to the terrace area. Given that it was winter the terrace roof had been rolled out and small heaters built into the outer wall were turned on. The heaters combined with the body heat of those already seated meant that it was quite pleasant, and they were quickly shedding their coats as they settled in.

“So, Mr Stroll pre-paid for a full experience for you tonight – so a full wine menu tasting and selected tapas dishes as well. He did state that if there was anything additional you wanted that he would cover that as well.” The host stated, keeping turned towards Lance while she spoke, “I’ll give you a few minutes to settle in and then we’ll bring the first course over.”

“This is very nice of your dad; you’ve got to remind me to thank him later.”

Lance waved away his thanks, pulling up the text to voice app. “He won’t let you; I promise – he likes spending his money to make people happy, so he’ll never let you finish a thank you. He’ll just keep vanishing until you give up.”

Esteban laughed, that sounded exactly like Lawrence – “maybe I’ll make it a personal challenge, I’ll keep trying until he lets me. Maybe I’ll ambush him at the factory,” he mused.

“Now that’s something I want to see.”

“I’ll try and get it on video for you,” Esteban promised.

At that moment the waiter returned with two generous glasses of red wine and a tray of a starter as well as two plated. Placing it down he explained that it was Vegetarian Piadine paired with pinot noir.

As the man went to leave them, Esteban spoke up, “sorry, how many types of wine are there to try?”

“Sixteen sirs. If one isn’t too your liking, we can swap it for something else.”

Esteban looked from the glass size to Lance and back again. “well I hope your liver is ready.”

……………………………………………………

As it turned out, neither of them really handled the wine well. Esteban had begun to lose count somewhere around the sixth glass and despite the amount of food, the world was beginning to spin quite alarmingly. It helped that Lance was similarly affected, his voice messages becoming messier and messier as the night wore on.

When the voice read out a garbled mess of sounds, Lance glared at it and spun it around so that Esteban could read it instead. Forcing his eyes to focus on the tiny letters, Esteban read something about chickens and just nodded, his brain not trying to understand what was happening.

“you want pudding?” Esteban suddenly exclaimed, cutting off whatever Lance was about to sign.

Lance shrugged and then nodded, waving the waiter over. Once it was ordered Esteban turned back to his boyfriend, taking in his dishevelled appearance knowing he didn’t look that much better. His eyes looked bright as he kept looking around the lights of the restaurant and his face had a red flush on it, hair sticking up from its carefully gelled cage from an evening of running his fingers through it.

“my vanilla bean,” Esteban stated, “my lovely vanilla bean.”

He must have slurred slightly because Lance was frowning at him although he couldn’t quite tell because the light was in his eyes making him squint.

He grabbed at Lance’s hand almost knocking over a wine glass in the process, carefully cradling his hand, and tracing the ring finger, “one day” he muttered.

He heard Lance take a sharp intake of breath and he looked up, worried that Lance had seen his lips and freaked, but he was looking over Esteban’s shoulder and when Esteban followed his gaze there was another couple, the man down on one knee.

As the women accepted Esteban clapped along with the rest of the restaurant, keeping his eyes on the couple and missing Lance mouthing, “one day.”

As Esteban turned back, he was surprised to see Lance crying, fat tears falling down his cheeks. Obviously seeing Esteban’s worry, he fumbled for his phone messily typing out;

_Itfs fine, judt ahppy_

Esteban gave what he hoped was an understanding and sympathetic smile. At that moment the dessert arrived a single dish of dark chocolate cake sat in white chocolate sauce. The waiter placed it in the middle and sat down two spoons.

“Enjoy,” he stated, before walking away.

Esteban scooped up some of the dessert and held it out to Lance. Lance, in turn, closed his eyes and opened his mouth, waiting. Esteban leaned forward trying to get the angle right but as he did so his elbow slipped, flicking his wrist and causing the piece of pudding to fly off the spoon and catch Lance in the eye. Simultaneously, from the loss of his elbow which was balancing him and too far past sober to rely on his reflexes, Esteban faceplanted the dish. 

Esteban heard the tables around them start to go silent and he let out a sigh into the cake before taking a deep breath... 

And inhaling a strawberry causing him to choke, coughing wildly as he sat up, managing to dislodge the fruit from his throat and spitting it back into the plate. Wiping his eyes to rid of the cake, he saw that Lance by some miracle was not only still sitting in his seat but was seemingly filming him. The younger man was laughing loudly, a small wheeze coming out when he tried to take a breath. As Esteban felt something slide down his cheek he started giggling as well, snorting and bending double as the laugher started coming.

Once he was able to speak, he looked at Lance and then looked at the slightly annoyed looks the staff were giving them and stated, "maybe we should get out of here."

………………………………………………………

They giggled as they wandered along the banks of Lake Geneva, hoping that the cold air would help to sober them back up again. They were alternating between singing loudly and off key to giggling like children when they saw other people. Lance suddenly changed direction and yanked Esteban through the gates of a park, pulling him over to a bench which still held a view of the lake. Collapsing into the bench Lance burrowed into Esteban’s side, resting his head on his shoulder and a hand on his chest.

A stillness came over them, heads still spinning from the wine, bodies not feeling the cold like they should have. As they sat there the snow that had been threatening all day finally came. Falling thick and fast in flurries, the moonlight and streetlights showing the true extent of the storm. The dry conditions allowing it to stick to the ground almost immediately. Lance moved from his arms, standing with his arms raised up trying to catch the snowflakes and looking on with a childlike wonder.

Spinning around, he stumbled over his feet Esteban leaping up to try and catch him, but Lance's momentum sent them falling to the ground. Breaking into fits of giggles again, Esteban reached out to brush some of the flurries that had landed in Lance's hair. The snow and cold were beginning to break through the drunk coat covering them and starting to sink into their bums.

Lance, either not feeling the cold or choosing to ignore it rolled over onto his back and started moving his arms and legs. Realising what was happening Esteban quickly stood up, snapping a photo on his phone before dropping down next to Lance and copying his movements.

He didn't know how long they stayed there, fingers occasionally brushing, as they created their snow angels. The voices of other people made Esteban sit up and wince at how wet his back was. Looking over at Lance he could tell that he was starting to feel it too. Reaching down he picked Lance up, the other man clinging to him koala style and quickly snapping his own photo of their angels, they began to walk back to town.

As they waited for the taxi, the couple leaned against a wall, this time Esteban cuddled into Lance's neck, Lance felt his phone vibrate and he managed to manoeuvre it out of his pocket without disturbing Esteban.

From Chloe:

_hey little bro, just checking in. How's everything going??_

Humming slightly, he angled the phone so that he could take a selfie, showing the two of them, nudging Esteban slightly so he looked up at the camera. He waited until they were back in the taxi, lazily holding hands, to send the photo to his sister. 

To Chloe: _attach photo_

To Chloe:

_pretty sure I love him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the chapter I imagined this fic around - the boys getting drunk in the snow  
> couldn't resist a bit of domestic fluff as well.
> 
> Also I mentioned a little but about Jewish traditions - Lawrence comes from a Jewish background but there's no information about whether the family celebrate any holidays. I added it as more of a cultural thing. 
> 
> As always - if you liked it, drop a kudos or comment :)


	5. The morning after

Waking up the next morning Esteban felt like he’d been hit by a bus. It had been a long time since he’d gotten that drunk and his body was not happy about it. Groaning he rolled over slapping at the bedside table trying to find his phone. Groaning even louder when the brightness from his phone blinded his eyes. Seeing that it was 10:30 he dropped the phone, hearing it smack against the floor and rolled back over, searching for Lance.

Finding the other side of the bed empty, Esteban sat up shutting his eyes as the room spun. Crawling across the bed, he spotted that half the sheets were hanging off the side and he could see what looked like an arm on the floor. Flopping forward onto his front he peered over the edge, grinning as he took in the sight.

Somehow in the night Lance had fallen out of the bed and was now on the floor, head pillowed under his arm, and one hand holding the sheets in a death grip.

Reaching down he poked Lance on the cheek,

“Lance…Lance wake up.”

…..

“Lance, wake up,” he repeated, putting some more effort into his poking.

Lance batted his hand away, moaning but not waking up. Trying to lean further over to reach Lance’s shoulder, Esteban lost his balance and pitched over the edge with a squeal.

Landing on top of Lance, his boyfriend let out a scream and flailed his arm, smacking Esteban in the face. Letting out another groan Esteban pushed his forehead into the floorboards – he just wanted to go back to sleep. A moan came from next to him and a second later he was being dragged into Lance’s arms, his head ending up somewhere near Lance’s armpit. Forcing his eyes open again he realised his head was fully under Lance’s armpit with his eye looking ahead across Lance’s bare chest.

He felt Lance clumsily patting his head and he craned his neck trying to look at his boyfriends face. Although he managed to catch sight of Lance’s face, it was now fairly difficult to breathe. Sighing in defeat he leant back on his elbows and dragged himself up, so they were face to face.

“Hi,” he signed, flopping his head on Lance’s shoulder, watching as his boyfriend lazily signed “morning” back at him.

Reaching up he gently tilted Lance's chin so he could see his lips. “can we get off the floor?” he asked.

He felt Lance’s chest as he huffed and nodded, grabbing the edge of the bed and heaving himself back up, leaving Esteban on the floor.

Looking up at him with a hopeful pleading look on his face, Esteban held his hand out, “take pity please,” he pleaded.

Lance looked down on him and raised an eyebrow as if to say, ‘what do I get out of this’, causing Esteban to sigh. “I’ll give you anything, but please help me.”

Lance’s face morphed into a grin and he took Esteban’s hand, hauling him back up onto the bed, the two of them collapsing onto the pillows.

“that was far too eventful for this early in the morning,” Esteban muttered to himself. Lifting his arm up in invitation Lance happily snuggled under it, draping his arm across Esteban’s chest and shutting his eyes with a pleased hum. While Lance seemingly dropped back to sleep, Esteban traced patterns on his side, gently running his hand through Lance’s curls at the same time.

The peace was broken as Esteban’s stomach let out a loud grumble, simultaneously reminding Esteban of his pounding head and he sighed as the need for food and water overpowered his desire to stay cuddled up in bed.

He paused in his caressing causing Lance to yawn, blinking sleepily as he twisted around to look at Esteban, a pout present on his face.

Letting out a small hum Esteban placed a kiss on Lance’s temple before opening his mouth. “Pancakes in bed?” he proposed.

Lance nodded his agreement signing out “I’ll do it.”

At Esteban’s protest, Lance signed “you – yesterday,” Esteban taking that as since he’d made the breakfast yesterday Lance wanted to do it today. Well, he couldn’t say no to some more time in bed.

As Lance stood up and grabbed his dressing gown, he turned back and gestured towards the bathroom door. As Esteban gave him a confused look, Lance began hunting around eventually taking a pen and paper from the desk after not being able to find his phone. Scribbling something down he flicked it on the bed and leaving the room.

_No offence but you smell, please take a shower. Also, your breath stinks. xoxo_

“Hey!” he called after him, a wry smile playing on his face as he watched Lance walk away.

“arghha” he grumbled, scrubbing a hand over his face and shifting so he was sat on the edge of the bed. Sighing before moving towards the bathroom, turning on the shower to let it warm while he quickly brushed his teeth. The small act already making him feel better and more human.

Undressing, he let his boxers crumple in a heap by the door and stepped under the water, basking in the warm spray. Picking up the shower gel he popped the cap, lifting it to his nose and breathing in the citrus tones that he’d come to associate with Lance. His senses focused on the smell of the gel and the heat of the shower he didn’t hear the door creak as it was pushed open.

He startled when hands touched his back, jumping slightly but relaxed when he looked over his shoulder and saw the head full of curly hair. Lance picked up the bottle of shampoo, lathering it up and rubbing it through Esteban’s hair.

Esteban shivered at the sensation, despite it being a simple thing, something he did himself every morning, this felt different. It somehow felt like the most intimate thing he’d ever experienced. The feeling of Lance gently massaging the shampoo through his hair, nails softly scraping against his scalp sending tingles down his spine. Lance guided his head back, under the showerhead and titling it back to rinse the shampoo - using one hand to cover Esteban’s eyes, the other to help wash the soap away.

Esteban sighed at the ministration feeling completely at ease. He felt Lance’s hand on his shoulders, turning him around so they were now face to face. One hand moving from his shoulder came up to cup the back of his head, the other moving down to his waist. Pulling Esteban’s head down, Lance leant up but tilted his head sideways, planting a kiss on Esteban’s earlobe, gently tugging it down. Feeling Esteban’s breath stutter Lance moved on, planting kisses down Esteban’s neck, down his chest and down his stomach. Slowly dropping to his knees, keeping eye contact the whole time, Lance placed kisses down the length of Esteban. Placing his last kiss on the very tip of Esteban’s cock Lance then slowly and carefully dragged his tongue up to the base and then took the tip in his mouth. Just the tip was enough to make Esteban have to reach out and steady himself against the rail, his knuckles turning white as his grip tightened and Lance continued.

Keeping the tip in his mouth, Lance reached up and fondled Esteban’s balls, teasing them with light touches and stroking the rest of Esteban’s length. Flicking his eyes upwards and taking in Esteban’s dishevelled appearance, he smiled pulling back, letting his tongue lick the traces of pre-cum now leaking from Esteban. Esteban shuddered, a small moan leaving his lips as Lance pulled back, his hips jutting forward as he chased after the warm heat of Lance’s mouth. Leaning back, Lance used a finger to trace Esteban’s length, teasing his boyfriend, enjoying the power that he held in this situation. Enjoying watching Esteban fall apart under his touch.

He suddenly surged forward, swallowing the length of Esteban in one fluid movement, feeling the tip of Esteban knock the back of his fault and moaning around the heavy weight.

For Esteban he felt like he was about to combust. The hot mouth now surrounding his cock was like heaven and he let out a string of curses and pleads as Lance began to bob his head up and down. Groaning loudly, he released the bar and tangled his hands in Lance’s hair trying to ground himself. His hip jerked forward after a particular tongue swirl from Lance, his hands pulling Lance closer, trying to get him to take more, and get him deeper. The feeling of his dick touching the back of Lance’s throat was indescribable. Shuddering he gripped the base of his length, trying to stop him from cuming too soon. Lance glanced up, confusion clear in his eyes and Esteban gasped out,

“I’m going to cum.” Using all of his strength to try and hold back. Lance in answer simply hollowed his cheeks, and gently scraped his teeth against the sensitive organ, trust showing in the eyes and Esteban let go. Allowing his orgasm to wash over him and spurt down Lance’s throat. Breathing heavily, he slumped against the shower walls, carding his hand through Lance’s hair as he came down the high. After a second Lance pulled back, lapping up the last of the cum and swallowing.

Making sure Esteban was looking, he signed “was that good?”

“Bloody perfect vanilla bean, bloody perfect.” Was all Esteban could manage. As Lance stood up, his erection brushed against Esteban’s leg causing Esteban to grin cheekily, a newfound burst of energy filling him. “I think its your turn,” he stated, diving in for a kiss lifting Lance up and pinning him against the wall, giggles ringing out.

……………………………………………………………..

Their boots crunched through the freshly laid snow, joining the crowds as they headed towards the Geneva Christmas market. After their adventures in the shower, they’d calmed down and decided to visit the market on its opening day. They’d made an agreement to exchange gifts and so the trip although a Christmas tradition, was also a necessity.

Gazing around the stalls, Esteban found his senses assaulted by the sights and smells. The stall owners calling out in a mixture of French, German and English, mixed into the songs coming from the Christmas band, set up to the edge of the square. The twinkling lights covering the square, looping across buildings and glowing in shades of red, blue and yellow. The smell of chestnuts roasting, mulled wine and chocolate filled the air and completed the scene. It was so traditional that Esteban would have been able to picture it even if he had his eyes shut.

Turning to his side he saw Lance with the same look of awe that he suspected as present on his own face and grinned happily. They wandered together for a little while enjoying the atmosphere and winning each other silly little presents – Lance spotting a small monkey plushie as a prize on a reaction game and making a fuss over it until Esteban agreed to win it. Considering his job, he thought he’d be able to win it pretty easily however Lance, for some reason had made it his life’s mission to distract him. Anything from whispering in his ear, to randomly poking him in the side and even putting some snow down his collar. Eventually Lance took pity and stopped – allowing Esteban to win it on the first go (and set a new record).

Happily clutching the monkey to his chest Lance skipped along next to Esteban, who was still scowling at how long it had taken him. Catching Lance’s arm, he questioned: “I thought you wanted me to win it, why were you messing around?”

Lance grinned, quickly typing out – _I wanted to see how long you’d last. You passed._

With that he continued skipping, leaving Esteban blinking after his boyfriend before pursing his lips and nodding. _Sure okay,_ he thought.

In return Lance walked over to another stall with a shooting game and payed the owner. Esteban raised an eyebrow, surely this wasn’t the game for lan…

**_Thunk thunk thunk_ **

The targets fell in quick succession and Lance handed the gun back to the owner pointing at the prize he wanted. Esteban stood in shock – was is really bad that he found that incredibly sexy?

Lance beckoned him over with a finger and Esteban felt himself moving as if in a trance. Lance handed him an overly fluffy pink panther plushie, smirking as he signed “it matches your car.”

“You are full of surprises,” Esteban exclaimed, kissing Lance, “I’ll keep it with me always.”

Once they were done messing around, they got to business buying the last-minute gifts for their family. A spinning candle decoration for Esteban’s mum, some chocolate for Claire-Ann and a wooden snowman for Esteban’s cousins.

Pausing as they rearranged their bags, Esteban sneakily taking a couple more than Lance so he could keep his hands free, Esteban bit his lip. If he wanted to get the bracelet for Lance, this was his chance. Clearing his throat, he caught Lance’s arm – “I need to pop off for a bit, how about we meet here in an hour or so?”

Lance nodded in agreement, switching on his location and sending it to Esteban – “Just in case.” And the two separated.

Esteban having looked on google maps for the shops location and to ensure that it would still be open, immediately headed off taking long strides.

Lance on the other hand wandered back through the stalls, deep in thought as he considered what he could get Esteban.

…………………………………………………………

Esteban followed the directions down the random side streets, not realising how lost he and Lance had gotten when they first came across it. It wasn’t far away from the main square, but the twisty nature of the city made it feel like it was. The calmness that surrounded this area was also a sharp contrast to the hustle and bustle of the main square.

Hovering outside the shop for a minute checking that the bracelet was still there and that there was nothing else that Lance would prefer. He briefly considered a ring but figured it might be slightly too early for that kind of present. No, the bracket was perfect.

Mind made up Esteban opened the door, a small bell ringing as he did, gaining the attention of the older man behind the counter.

“Ah bonjour monsieur, my name is Pierre, can I help you?”

“erm yes please, I’m looking at getting that silver bracelet in the window,” Esteban gestured behind him towards the item, seeing Pierre nod and move away from the counter.

“Ah this one here, Monsieur?” Pierre checked, removing it from the display when Esteban nodded in response.

“hmm it’s a nice choice, if I say so myself – it’ll make a young girl very happy – oh of course, I can’t presume, my apologies, It would make a fine present for a young man as well” he stuttered and Esteban laughed him off.

“Him” he stated, “Lance, my boyfriend – we’ve not been together long but I saw this and knew it was perfect for him”, he rambled, seeing Pierre smile at him.

“Ah young love, it truly is a gift – don’t waste it.”

“I won’t,” Esteban promised, “I plan on being with him for a very long time.” He smiled softly as he imagined growing a life with Lance, having him with him at races, buying a house together, holidays – the list was endless, and Esteban couldn’t wait for the future.

“You know, we offer a free engraving service if you would like?”

Esteban hummed slightly considering it before agreeing – it would add an additional personalised touch, something that he knew Lance would appreciate over something expensive and meaningless.

“I’ll get my grandson on it right away, shouldn’t take long – you’re free to wait, would you like a drink?”

Esteban denied but roamed around the small room taking in the family photos and the various pieces of jewellery on offer.

“My father started this business when I was just a boy, I didn’t want to take it over at first, wanted to see the world, I loved photography but things have a way of working itself out – and now I have all the time in the world to enjoy myself,” Pierre’s voice startled him out of his thoughts. “when I married my wife, I realised I didn’t mind the simple life, having her there was all the adventure I needed.”

The two continued to chat while they waited for the engraving, Pierre regaling Esteban with tales from his past and giving what can only be described as grandfatherly advice.

He didn’t plan on it, but Esteban left the shop with another piece of jewellery – one he’d keep hold of for a while. He’d take it everywhere, just in the case the moment arrived. Keeping it in his suitcase as he travelled around the world, not telling anyone. He didn’t know when he’d use it but he knew that eventually, he would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit more smut   
> A little sneak of a future fic - I imagine you can guess what that is.  
> I can't believe this is almost over - only one more full chapter left


	6. Through the years, we all will be together

Lance watched as Esteban strode away from him, seemingly confident on where he was going, watching until he vanished from sight. Lance spun around heading back into the stalls, he had no idea what to get Esteban – he’d been thinking about it for the whole trip but hadn’t had any inspiration.

Esteban meant to the world to him, he deserved everything Lance could ever give and more. When Lance wasn’t with him, he was counting down the minutes until he’d be able to see him again.

Stopping still in the middle of the road he finally had his inspiration. Looking around, all he had to do now was find the perfect one – and fast. He only had an hour after all. A quick google showed several different shops he could visit – not a surprise he was in Geneva after all, and he set off heading for the first suggestion.

The first shop turned out to be too upmarket and Lance knew Esteban wasn’t a fan of the flashier things money could buy. The second one was also too high end – the sales assistant snootily turning her nose up when Lance tried to explain he was deaf and with only a half-hour to go until he was meeting Esteban, Lance was beginning to panic.

Sure, he could go with the second part of the gift, but he wanted to give Esteban something tangible and something he could keep on him at all times as a reminder. Heading back towards the stalls Lance was close to giving up and close to tears after another horrible encounter when he accidentally jostled a random man. He just wanted to give up and get some cuddles from his boyfriend when he saw the stall. On the edge of the square, it wasn’t as brightly lit as the other stalls and the items didn’t look as flashy, but it was the right objects and Lance figured one look wouldn’t hurt.

Stepping closer, he gave a weak smile to the woman behind the stand. He saw her lips moving but because of the lighting, he wasn’t able to fully see what she said. Motioning to her that he was deaf Lance braced himself, half-expecting another horrible reaction and was pleasantly surprised when she smiled wider and opened her arms in an inviting gesture. Feeling encouraged Lance pulled his phone out and typed out his message explaining what he was looking for. The woman grinned again, pulling out a box from under the stand, proffering it to Lance.

Lance felt his eyes widen as he took in the item – it was perfect, even the inscription was perfect. “Thank you, thank you, thank you” Lance signed, muttered it as well, tears glistening in his eyes.

The women smiled kindly at him, taking out a pen and paper and writing a careful message – _Sometimes the things we want come to us after hardship and struggle. This gift was the one you were looking for and you didn’t give up – you earned it, don’t waste it._

Lance let the tears fall from his face, it was almost the perfect metaphor for his relationship with Esteban and he couldn’t wait to share it with him.

Present brought and philosophical advice gained, Lance wandered back to his meeting piece with Esteban a spring back in his step as he made his way through the crowds.

His good mood suddenly dissipated, heart sinking when he spotted Esteban with a girl. Esteban himself looked uncomfortable as the girl was pressing herself closer to him as they took a picture. Lance felt anger wash over him – he was used to fans wanting pictures with Esteban, and he knew that Esteban didn’t mind but this was over the top. Starting forward he abruptly stopped, even if he wanted to go over and get her away from the person he loved, he couldn’t. He couldn’t risk Esteban’s career like that just because he was jealous.

He felt someone smack into his side, sending him stumbling forward. Turning around to see what happened he groaned when he saw that is was somehow the same guy he’d bumped into earlier. Stepping back, he held his hands up in a placating manner as the man began to gesture wildly and Lance could tell me was shouting at him. Lance tried desperately to calm the man down but found himself being shoved backwards, just managing to stay on his feet from the harsh push.

“Please I…” Lance started, forcing the words out of his mouth but they fell silent as he saw the man’s expression change, and a second later Esteban was stood in front of his shielding him from the man’s view. Esteban took a step towards the man, and Lance could tell from his posture that unless Lance did something this could get ugly fairly quickly.

Grabbing Esteban’s arm, he pulled him back, taking the other man by surprise and managing to pull him away and through the parting crowd. Once they reached a small side street, Lance let his hand fall away. He could tell Esteban was ranting, and Lance bit his lip as the emotions threatened to spill over. He didn’t want to be here in this random street, he wanted to be back at his house cuddled under a blanket with Esteban. Finally feeling his tears break free and slide down his cheeks, he dropped his head into his hands, hiding his face. Seconds later Lance felt Esteban engulf him in a hug pulling him close to his chest. For a brief moment, Lance let himself enjoy the hug, loving the soothing feeling of Esteban running his hands down his back and pressing small kisses to his hairline -but then he pushed away, keeping Esteban at arm’s length.

Clearing his throat, he stated, “can we go home now?”

Something in his voice must have given away his true feelings because Esteban’s face fell, his eyes going soft and he wordlessly held his hand out for Lance to take. Lance squeezed their hands and the two walked quietly back to the car.

“Maybe I should…” he saw Esteban start to say but Lance cut him off,

“No, I’ll drive,” he signed, carefully placing his bags in the backseat before getting in the front. There was a pause but then Esteban got in his side, keeping his bags in the footwell.

Despite stating that he wanted to drive, Lance couldn’t stop his mind from wandering as they drove back. He had to force himself to concentrate on the roads, as ever paying extra attention to his mirrors. He could see Esteban was watching him, but he didn’t look over.

Pulling up outside the garage he tossed Esteban the house key and signalled for him to go ahead. From the corner of his eye, he could see Esteban hesitate, opening his mouth but then thinking the better of it and shutting it again. Once the car was parked, Lance sat still for a minute. God, how had their day gone so badly wrong so quickly? This morning in the shower was one of his happiest moments, the intimacy they shared bonding them on a new layer. Even the shopping trip had started well, Lance just hated other people.

He knew that not everyone would be so quickly accepting of his impairment but sometimes coming face to face with it pushed him over the edge. It hadn’t happened in so long, all the activities they’d done this week inclusive by Esteban’s doing. Thoughts turning back to his boyfriend Lance shook himself trying to dislodge his bad mood. Esteban was only staying for another day; he didn’t want to ruin it by wallowing in self-pity. There were always going to be people who didn’t understand but luckily Esteban wasn’t one of them. And that’s what truly matters.

Heading inside the house, he briefly dwelled on the change of feelings he’d experienced during Esteban’s visit. He knew he liked the other man before he came to visit, wouldn’t have been dating him otherwise but now his feelings had grown – into love. It was a scary realisation but at the same time it felt so right, and he hoped Esteban was feeling the same.

Entering the house, he looked for clues about where Esteban was, not seeing the lights on in the kitchen or living room – the places they’d been spending the majority of they’re time. At the top of the stairs he spotted a soft glow, the hall light wasn’t on but by the looks of it, his bedroom light was.

Taking the stairs two at a time, he hurried upstairs pausing momentarily but then gently pushing the door further open, heart-melting at the sight.

Esteban had placed the monkey and the Pink Panther on top of the duvet, snuggled next to each other on the bed. Esteban himself was sat facing away from Lance, he hadn’t looked up, but Lance was sure he knew that Lance was there. Stepping forward Lance could see Esteban twisting something round in his hands but wasn’t able to get a closer look because Esteban suddenly glanced over his shoulder and when seeing Lance shoved the present back into a bag.

Hesitantly Lance moved to sit next to him, smiling when Esteban wrapped his arm around him, holding him close. Seeing the pen and paper from that morning resting on the side table Lance leaned over, careful not to break contact with Esteban, and picked it up. Smiling at his message from the morning, he turned the page and began to write. He hunched over slighting trying to hide his message from Esteban until the last moment.

Shifting back slightly when he was done so he could see Esteban in full, carefully studying his face. Esteban just looked concerned and held up a finger before Lance could show him the paper. “can I just….” Esteban paused slightly as if waiting for Lance to cut him off before continuing, “Can I just check, are you okay? That guy didn’t hurt you or anything did he?”

At Lance shaking his head, Esteban let you a sigh, a little smile gracing his lips, “good.” He leaned forward and Lance closed his eyes, smiling himself when Esteban’s lips touched his.

Sighing into the kiss, Lance reluctantly broke the kiss, handing Esteban the note and watching his face.

…………………………………………………………….

The relief Esteban felt at Lance affirming that the mad guy in town hadn’t hurt him was palpable and he sighed, leaning forward to kiss Lance. After a second, he felt Lance pull back and the pad of paper being pushed into his hands. Eyes flicking from the paper to Lance’s face, he saw a little bit of fear in his eyes, prompting him to take Lance’s hand in his.

Looking down he started to read the note;

_Esteban –_

_The most frustrating thing about today was trying to find a present that represents how much I care about you. It took the whole hour you gave me, and I had some pretty annoying encounters while I was doing it. But at the end of the day, that doesn’t matter because you’ve never treated me any different and I did manage to find a present :)_

_The truth is, it was extra hard because I realised that I love you. Xx_

As Esteban got to that part of the note, Lance repeated the phrase, a soft ‘I love you’ coming from Esteban’s right. Speechless for a second, he turned to face Lance reaching up to cup his face.

“I love you too,” Esteban whispered, seeing Lance’s face break out into a smile.

“I love you; I love you” Esteban repeated, his words overlapping with Lances as they both declared their feelings.

They stayed like that for a while, just holding one another and whispering confessions of love in each other’s ears before they pulled apart.

“come on we still need to decorate the tree,” he signed smirking at Esteban confused look. “I love it when you screw your nose up like that when you get confused,” smile growing but also a sad feeling also present. “I wish you could understand me,” he signed.

“One day, I’ll get there, I promise,” Esteban added, lightly kissing Lance’s nose.

Lance crinkled his nose as Esteban kissed it, the touch tickling. Flinching away from the touch, he quickly scribbled down his message telling Esteban about the tree and pulled him to his feet. The two racing each other downstairs giggling like teenagers as they revelled in their love for each other.

The tree decorating shouldn't have taken as long as it did. Esteban tying Lance up with the tinsel and Lance hitting Esteban in the face with a bauble (several baubles in fact).

They ended with Esteban on Lance's back just about managing to get the star on top without knocking the whole thing over, Lance screeching from below him as he saw the tree wobble, moving to try and steady it but not taking into account the added weight, sending both Lance and Esteban (but mercifully not the tree) to the ground.

Laying in a heap under the twinkling light made Lance feel like he was under the starts, which sparked a new idea. Pushing himself to his feet, he pulled Esteban up behind him, moving over the settee, gathering up the blankets and gesturing for Esteban to follow him.

They walked out onto the back terrace, the view showing Lake Geneva on one side and the snowy hills all around. The moon and starlight bounced off of the white snow, illuminating the countryside. Esteban wrapped Lance in one of the blankets, doing the same with his own and they curled up on the swinging bench, Lance tucking his legs up and Esteban using his to gently nudge the swing into action. The small movements, the calm night, a warm body next to them combined with the emotional events of the day, led to them falling asleep beneath the stars.

…………………………………………………………………….

The next morning saw Esteban startled awake, siting up abruptly as the overhead light switched on. His confused mind struggling to function and process what was happening. He remembered falling asleep outside with Lance but now he was back in their bed, and Lance was holding a tray, the scent of croissants filling the air.

"huh.. What.. Wha happened?"

Lance set the croissants down at the end of the bed, handing Esteban a mug of coffee before climbing back into bed with his own. Carefully balancing his mug between his legs, Lance signed "I carried you back, you fell asleep" 

"Is it bad that I find that incredibly hot?" 

Lance just smirked, his face softening as Esteban signed "I love you", instantly returning it. 

It being Esteban’s last day in Geneva, they decided on a PJ and film day, lugging the duvet downstairs into the living room and building a mini pillow fort on the floor. 

They spent the day working through various Christmas films - Lance being outraged that Esteban had never seen elf (Esteban honestly thought he'd never seen Lance so angry) - while eating takeaway pizza. Cheesily feeding each other bites, attempting to be romantic but Lance was too mischievous, occasionally just smearing it onto Esteban face causing a mini play-flight/kissing session. But that was as exciting as the day was. 

That was until the time came to exchange presents. 

Following dinner, they returned to their pillow fort, each clutching a carefully wrapped present close to their chests.

They sat down, crossed legged and facing each other, nervous smiles playing on their faces.

Lance takes a deep breath, holding out the present with one hand and taking Esteban’s hand in his other. “I love you,” he signed, “I hope you like it.”

“It's from you, of course, I’ll like it.” Giving his hand a comforting squeeze, he retracted his hand and turned his attention to unwrapping his gift. In typical Lance fashion, the gift was absolutely covered in Sellotape, not a single inch of the wrapping paper-free.

Giving Lance a withering look, the other man giggling in response, Esteban attacked the edges of the tape trying to find a weak point. Every time he managed to pull a little bit free, it split as he pulled harder leaving him with little slithers of Sellotape stuck to his fingers.

“arghhh” he groaned, dropping his head to his chest in despair. Gently placing the present down, he stormed to the kitchen, grumbling as he routed around for some scissors. Coming back into the living room, Lance still had a shit-eating grin on his face, blinking innocently as Esteban flopped back down next to him.

“Problem?” he signed.

“Not at all,” Esteban replied, easily slicing a gap in the paper with the help of the scissors. Placing the scissors on the table, he pulled the remaining paper off, revealing a small wooden box. Glancing at Lance he saw that his confident grin was now replaced with a nervous one.

Flashing a reassuring grin, Esteban opened the small box, mouth falling open as he took in the gift. Nestled in blue velvet was a small brass pocket watch, the watch face visible – the front covering having cut-outs showing the numbers and arms. The outer edge was engraved with a delicate pattern. Flicking the pocket watch open he admired the fine craftsmanship, the watch created in a such a way that the inner mechanisms were showing. The soft ticking noise becoming the background noise. As he caressed it, his fingers felt something on the back, prompting Esteban to turn it around – tears springing to his eyes as he read the inscription;

_Le temps que vous passez avec votre véritable amour est un temps qui n’est jamais perdu._

Words failing him, Esteban could do nothing but stare at Lance, tears rolling down his face. Lance swiftly moving forward and tugging him into a hug. Esteban buried his face in Lance’s neck, letting himself be comforted. Sniffing loudly, he sat back, catching Lance in a kiss.

“I’ll use it to count the seconds until we can see each other again,” he whispered touching his forehead against Lance’s, eyes shut as Lance kissed him again before leaning back.

“Look underneath” he signed, gesturing to the box.

Esteban tenderly lifted the blue velvet cushioning, setting it to one side and taking out a small envelope. Slipping his finger under the join, he opened it tipping it upside-down and gasping again as a plane ticket fell out. Turning it over he saw that it was in Lance’s name dated for the 30th December.

A small note accompanied it written by Lance’s hand – _My turn to visit you. Can’t wait to see in the new year with you. Love Lance._

“You’re coming to Evreux?” he asked, wide-eyed, breaking out into happy laughter as Lance nodded.

“I can’t wait – I’ll start counting now,” he said gesturing to his new watch – carefully placing it back into the box, caressing the lid as he placed it to one side.

“My turn,” Lance signed, grinning happily, reaching for the neatly wrapped present Esteban was handing him.

Eagerly ripping at the paper, carelessly throwing it the side he hummed in contentment as he stroked the velvet box underneath. Gently prizing the box open he felt his heart skip a beat as he took in the silver bracelet within. The slightly darkened silver standing out against the black casing. The two silver rods twisting in the centre, making it perfectly simple yet timeless and classic. Lifting it out in awe Lance spotted an inscription on the inside, running his finger over it reverently.

_L & E 11/12/18 – Forever xx_

The date of the Brazilian GP, barely a month ago, the day when Esteban finally asked him on an official date.

“I wanted it to be simple enough that you can wear it always, and I’ll always be with you.”

“It’s perfect,” Lance signed, slipping it on his wrist beaming at the perfect fit, the inscription resting just by Lance’s pulse point – ironic because Esteban always made his heart beat faster.

Reaching his hand out, Lance pulled Esteban to their feet before resting his hands on his shoulders as Esteban rested his on Lance’s waist.

“I love you” they whispered, simultaneously, grinning at each other.

In the background, the songs changed, and the soft notes of “Have yourself a merry little Christmas” started playing. Esteban beginning to sway to the tune, softly singing as he gazed at Lance. Lance, keeping his hands-on Esteban’s shoulder rested his head against his chest as the two danced side to side to the sound. Lance listening to the vibrations in Esteban’s chest from his singing, as the two twirled around the living room, Christmas tree twinkling in the background, snow falling outside, both completely and utterly happy.

_Through the years_

_We all will be together_

_If the Fates allow_

_So, hang a shining star_

_Upon the highest bough_

_And have yourself_

_A merry little Christmas now._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Le temps que vous passez avec votre véritable amour est un temps qui n’est jamais perdu -- The time you spend with your true love is time that is never wasted. The translation comes from google translate so don't hate me.
> 
> The quote that Lance gets told is actually something my Nan once told me - well the first part about hardship and struggle - basically another way of saying good things come to those who wait.
> 
> That's the last official chapter - a short epilogue will be up tomorrow.


	7. I'll be counting down the seconds

As they walked through the doors into the airport, Esteban couldn't believe that only a few short days ago he'd walked out eager to get to his boyfriend. 

The week had passed quickly, full of new experiences and revelations. Looking at the love of his life he was still floating on a cloud from their gift exchange the previous night and the love confessions. 

Thankfully it was only a few weeks until they saw each other again for New Years, Esteban's mind already racing with the possibilities of what they could do. 

A little fact he hadn't yet mentioned to Lance was that his parents wouldn't be home - they were spending new years in New York, part of his Christmas present for them. An empty house and after the steps forward in the bedroom they'd taken this week, Esteban was very interested to see what happens next. 

Having already checked in online, the couple stopped for one last coffee together before Esteban went through security. 

Sitting side by side in a small booth, they held hands trying to be more discreet. They'd gotten lucky so far in the trip and hadn't been seen by anyone - well not that he knew of and the team hadn't been blowing up his phone to yell at him anyway. Still being in an airport it increased the likelihood of being recognised. 

They were quiet as they sipped on their coffees enjoying their last hour together. 

"I'm going to miss you" Esteban stated, "your cuddles, your mouth, your sense of humour." he giggled at the look on Lance's face, watching his cheeks flush at the comments. 

He watched as Lance bit his lip before signing "give it a minute and then follow me." 

Standing up, Lance made his way through the cafe and disappeared through the bathroom door. 

They'd said their goodbyes at the house that morning, cuddling in the pillow fort lazily trading kissing back and forth, keeping it suspiciously pg after their previous explorations in the bedroom. 

Trying to sip his coffee and stay calm he wondered what Lance was going to do. After the minute was up, Esteban grabbed his bag and walked to the bathroom trying to keep a calm outward appearance but knew the bright grin on his face gave him away. 

Slipping inside, Lance grabbed his shoulders and pinned him to the door. Lance's mouth fixed onto his, one hand moving behind Esteban and the soft click of the lock being engaged rang out. 

Moaning into the kiss Esteban reversed their position, cupping behind Lance's head holding their mouths together. Moving his hand down he lifted Lance's shirt trailing his fingers up Lance's chest, enjoying the feeling of Lance's defined abs. He heard Lance moan as he ran his fingers lightly over Lance's nipples but then pulled back. 

"we're not doing this in a public bathroom, " he breathed out, resting his head against Lance's and lifting his hand out from under the jumper. Pecking Lance once again on the lips again he ran a hand through his hair. 

"maybe when you come to visit we'll pick this up again, but not now. " 

He saw Lance nod, leaning forward to press another kiss on Esteban's lips. 

"I'm going to miss you" he signed. 

"Hey, I'll always be with you," Esteban replied, hands stroking over Lance's wrist and the bracelet that sat there. "and I'll be counting down the seconds" patting his pocket which held his new watch. 

"come on, we should get going, " Lance signed, moving over to the mirror and fussing with his hair, trying to make it less messy. 

Esteban smiled warmly at the sight, moving behind Lance and messing it up again, quickly turning and running from the bedroom as Lance cursed behind him. 

Walking next to each other, hands brushing but not quite touching they went to the security line. 

Giving each other one last hug and one last whispered 'love you', Esteban turned and walked through. Pausing briefly on the other side he turned and blew a kiss. Smiling as Lance caught it and held it to his heart. 

Turning away his hand reached into his pocket and ran over the pocket watch. 

Time to start counting. 

……………….. 

As they hug, goodbye Esteban's head on Lance's shoulder, neither of them notice the girl taking their photo. 

**F1ster562**

Post to twitter - 

> _Either @EstebanOcon has a doppelganger or he's in Geneva 😍 should I go and say hi??_

**Estegirl87** \- 

> _Omg that does look like him - definitely, he's apparently so nice to fans_

**F1ster562** \- 

> _Ahh I missed him, he's gone_

**Estegirl87** -

> _Ah damn that's too bad - wait who's that guy with him??_

**F1ster562** \- 

> _Didn't someone see him at that market the other day, the guy looks like he could be same one_

**Estegirl87-**

> _Either way, they look close_ 👀👀

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there you have it guys - the end.
> 
> Little hint towards a future fic with that end little bit, but first Lance and Esteban spend New Year's together 👀
> 
> To anyone who has read this all the way through, thank you so much. To everyone who's left kudos and comments and bookmarks - Thank you. It really means a lot. 
> 
> Happy holidays guys, have a good one ❤️

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, after researching this fic, the first place I want to go when we're allowed is Geneva. It's so cute.
> 
> Come say hi on Tumblr (if you wanna :)) [fireessie](http://www.fireessie.tumblr.com/)


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